'Anger Management' Review: "Charlie's Dad Starts to Lose It"

And here we go again. ‘Anger Management’ continues on with its 90-episode, two-year run with its 12th episode “Charlie's Dad Starts to Lose It," as Charlie's father Martin (Martin Sheen) begins displaying suspicious signs of Alzheimer's disease, while Patrick's efforts to improve Nolan's wardrobe reveal a surprising fear.

Previous episode “Charlie Loses It At A Baby Shower” saw Charlie enlisting Kate’s help in re-connecting with his acerbic sister Meredith (Meredith Salinger), while Patrick convinced Ed that his daughter (Jen Kober) might be gay, so what will the latest episode bring? Are there more laughs to be had in the second half-hour of ‘Anger Management,’ or would we rather forget?

Read on for your in-depth recap of everything you need to know about ‘Anger Management’ episode 12, “Charlie's Dad Starts to Lose It!”

As Charlie prepares to wrap his latest session with the group, his father Martin accidentally interrupts asking for pudding and grapefruit to be added to the groceries list. Charlie confiscates a security cam teddy bear Nolan had given Lacey, while Patrick offers to help boost Nolan’s confidence by beefing up his wardrobe.

Sam calls Charlie into the kitchen, pointing out that Martin seems to have left his shoes in the refrigerator, a clear sign of something off. Charlie brushes it off and tells his daughter to do the same, but the next day at Martin’s birthday party, Martin attempts to use the pantry as a bathroom, forcing Charlie to admit that something might be wrong. Even with the signs however, Charlie suspects that his father might be faking in order to move in with him.

At Patrick’s apartment, Nolan’s confidence steadily rises with each new piece of clothing he tries, but he freaks out and lapses into a panic attack the moment Patrick attempts to put a tie around the ensemble. Meanwhile, Mike pays a visit to Charlie asking about his father, but Charlie laments that the doctor's tests were inconclusive. Still suspecting his father of faking, Charlie has the idea to use Nolan’s teddy cam to observe his father in private without him knowing.

Watching the feed in her office, Kate grows increasingly bored with Charlie’s video footage of his father, but her tune quickly changes once the feed shows Martin attempting to use an ice cream sandwich as a remote for the TV. As Charlie worries, Martin steps out of view of the camera, and takes a bite of the ice cream, remarking “too easy.”

Later, Martin hears Charlie pulling up and quickly resumes the act by messing up his hair and placing his beer can in a shoe. Charlie matches the beer can gesture, and insists his father come live with him, but Martin passively protests before conning Charlie into making him a sandwich. Meanwhile back at Patrick’s, Nolan wakes from his panic attack and explains that his militaristic father once forced him to go to a school dance by dragging him from his tie. Feeling better for the confession, Nolan steals a hug from a begrudging and uncomfortable Patrick.

Cleaning out Martin’s apartment, Charlie and Jennifer are interrupted by the angry knocks of two women from the complex, both of whom Martin had cheated on with the other, and now begun avoiding. Seeing as Martin pulled the Alzheimer’s excuse on them too, Charlie confirms he’d been duped, and heads home to confront his father.

Martin once again puts on the act as Charlie arrives home, leading Charlie to play a gambit of his own. He tells his father that the blood-work indicated the presence of a rare bone disease, to be treated multiple times a week with painful procedures, leading Martin to call his son’s bluff. Martin admits he didn’t tell Charlie about his womanizing problem lest his son see him as a hypocrite, but Charlie offers to use his anger management skills to mediate between Martin and his vengeful neighbors.

Charlie waits with a nervous Martin in his apartment, as Barb and Elaine knock on the door. Charlie shows the angry women in, but rather than mediate, he points the women toward his father, and heads out the door on his merry way. Roll credits!

As we said with the premiere, it can be difficult to find much worth merit in 'Anger Management,' a show that admittedly plays up Charlie Sheen's sitcom persona to give people what they want rather than anything fresh. Still, "Charlie's Dad Starts to Lose It" does make good use of newly-minted series regular Martin Sheen, an aspect of the series we look forward to seeing over the course of the next...90...episodes. We can also appreciate that the supporting characters have begun to come into their own a bit more, relying less on Charlie's presence, even if Patrick (Michael Arden) has been shouldering the most weight thus far.

Did you enjoy the second half of ‘Anger Management's premiere, or did it make you burn with rage? Join us next week for another all-new ‘Anger Management’ episode recap of “Charlie and the Ex-Patient” on FX!